Name

cp - copy files

Synopsis

$ cp [options...] <source...> <destination>

Description

cp copies files specified in source to destination.

If there are several sources, the directory destination is created and all files specified in sources are copied into that directory. Otherwise, the source file is copied as destination file. If the file exists, it is overridden. If destination directory exists and there is only one source, the source file is copied into the destination directory.

If a directory is specified in source, the -R (recursive) flag is required. Otherwise, an error occurs.

Options

• -l, --link: Create hard links instead of copying
• -R, -r, --recursive: Copy directories recursively
• -v, --verbose: Display what files are copied

Examples

# Copy cpp-tests file and name it cpp-tests-backup
$ cp cpp-tests cpp-tests-backup

# Copy cpp-tests directory and name it cpp-tests-backup
$ cp -R cpp-tests cpp-tests-backup

# Copy cpp-tests file into existing root
$ cp cpp-tests root